Stamped concrete cost in Madison, WI

Who does the work: Madison trade wages

The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Madison the blend is 1.20.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 60% of the weighting: a median of $31.69 an hour, 16% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $29.38 and $38.76 an hour. About 570 work in the metro. That is 14.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $27.40 an hour, which is 21% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.70 and $31.94 an hour. BLS counts 2,370 of them working in the area, 58.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $39.93 an hour, 39% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $31.65 and $47.46 an hour. About 680 work in the metro. That is 16.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (cement masons and concrete finishers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $420 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $140. That is a swing of roughly 2.3% to 7.0% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Madison has 408,070 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 61st by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Why two Madison quotes can differ

• Not included

  These prices don't include site prep that depends on the project: demolition, grading, or a thicker base.

• Pattern and color

  Basic to average coloring runs $8-$19 per sq ft. A 2-car stamped driveway runs $12-$18 per sq ft (HomeGuide); Estimators.us puts decorative slabs at $15-$30.

• Specialist labor

  Stamping has to be done before the concrete sets, so crews arrive in larger teams and charge for it.

Is Madison cheap or dear? The local comparison

Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 400 sq ft range from $5,500 to $6,300 across Madison and its five closest metros.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Madison ranks #61 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Madison is 2% above the Wisconsin figure.

Elsewhere in Wisconsin

Metros of a similar size

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Madison against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Add-ons priced for Madison

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.07 for Madison, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.20) and goods price index (0.94). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Pick a size, pick a tier: stamped concrete pricing in Madison

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Madison. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 10x20 patio (200 sq ft) to 2-car driveway (600 sq ft).

The best months for stamped concrete in Madison

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Madison Dane Rgnl Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.

For pouring concrete, the comfortable months in Madison are May through September: 5 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, April, October, November and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below.

The 40°F line is a deliberately cautious stand-in. The American Concrete Institute's cold-weather guide (ACI 306R-16) defines cold-weather concreting around an average daily air temperature below 40°F, which is colder than our test of an average overnight low at or below 40°F, so we flag a few extra shoulder months. In cold weather crews may need heated enclosures, insulating blankets or accelerated mixes, and those measures can raise a quote.

Madison gets about 37 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 52 inches of snow. The wettest months are June, July and August (5.3 inches in June). Inside the workable window, May and September are the driest, at 4.1 and 3.4 inches. The station averages about 9 days a year at 90°F or above.

We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.

Related projects, priced for Madison

Jobs that often go together with stamped concrete are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Madison wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, asphalt driveway comes out highest (+16%) and concrete slab lowest (+4%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.